Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath to run EU's hub to fight disinformation

Justice Commissioner Micheal McGrath will run the newly proposed “European Centre for Democratic Resilience” under the European Democracy Shield plan to combat foreign disinformation, the Commission said on Wednesday.

The centre itself was announced by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her state of the union speech in September. The dedicated hub for sharing information between EU countries and institutions will be focused on fighting so-called hybrid attacks – where online disinformation campaigns may involve a range of techniques and target multiple distribution channels to boost their impact.

“I will have lead responsibility for the new centre,” McGrath told reporters on Wednesday. “I will work with my own team and with colleagues across the [Commission] services to get this up and running as quickly as possible.”

Europe’s external action services (EEAS) already cooperates with EU countries and institutions via what’s known as a “rapid alert system” to battle hybrid disinformation activities. McGrath said the new centre will work closely with existing services – aiming to “link together” existing networks and structures.

He also said the centre will be open to neighbouring countries, including EU candidate countries, and will seek to work with “like-minded partners” – though he did not provide details of partners outside the region.

An EU official told reporters on Wednesday that the goal is to have the facility up and running in 2026, with a more gradual rollout – by 2027 – for other initiatives in the Shield.

“We are now being given a mandate to develop this centre, and we’re not putting a limit on its potential,” McGrath added, referencing today’s political commitment to establish the hub.

How the EU will fund the facility is still being considered, however, and the Commission has yet to confirm the budget. A Commission official said it will look at funds left in the current multi-annual financial framework which runs until 2027.

The Democracy Shield announced today contains other initiatives, such as a new elections toolkit for national digital services coordinators (DSCs) under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a new DSA crisis protocol for large-scale disinformation campaigns, and guidance on responsible use of AI in electoral processes.

But the new initiatives remain voluntary commitments under the (non-binding) Shield. “We respect the competences of the Commission and… of the member states,” said McGrath, noting that national elections are a competence of EU countries.

“This is a strategic approach overall, it is non-legislative,” he added.

(nl)